Texts taken from the Missalette “On Your Word” March-April 2022

Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary (feast)
proper

FIRST READING

From the Second Book of Samuel (2 Sam 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16)
In those days, this word of the Lord came to Nathan: “Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: ‘When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. He shall build a house for my name, and I will make his royal throne firm forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.’” – The word of God.

Commentary on the First Reading

The word “house” is central to this prophecy of Nathan. David wants to build a temple for the Lord, a place to contain the ark of the covenant and where ritual sacrifices and prayers can be offered. The idea is also right, but God surprises the king by sending him word that it will instead be God himself who builds a house for David. The Lord promises that he will always be present in the house of the king and his successors, continuing through the ages until Joseph. By the time of Christ, the house of David has lost its splendor, but the promise remains valid: God is with Joseph as he was with Solomon and all the subsequent kings, including those who did not live up to their task. From a legal standpoint, then, Jesus inherits the role of “king,” in the Davidic sense, precisely from the gentle carpenter of Galilee. Let us therefore thank this extraordinary servant of the Lord, who bears his title with dignity, in poverty and obscurity. He is the Davidic descendant who “bears” God’s seal with humble purity.

SECOND READING

From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Romans (Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22)
Brothers and sisters, the promise to Abraham or his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law but through the righteousness that comes from faith. For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift of grace and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to those who belong to the Law but also to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written: “I have made you the father of many nations,” in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist. He believed, hoping against hope, and thus became the father of many nations, as he had been told: “So shall your descendants be.” That is why it was credited to him as righteousness. – The word of God.

Commentary on the Second Reading

In the first reading, we saw how the royal title comes to the Lord Jesus through Joseph who, despite his modest social standing, belongs to the royal house of David. This is true according to the Law. Alongside this there is faith; the Apostle tells us that one becomes an heir through faith, not primarily through legal descent. The father of faith is Abraham, who, having believed absolutely, becomes the father of all who descend from him. Let us therefore contemplate in the text the faith of Joseph, who, like Abraham, believes everything God asks of him. And God asks much of him: to be the guardian of the holy family, to support the Blessed Virgin Mary in everything, and to ensure that Jesus grows up soundly during his childhood and youth. Joseph’s entire life is woven through with faith: he has no will of his own apart from God’s will, day by day. Let us contemplate and learn from the holy patriarch to be obedient to God in everything and, like him, we will obtain the inheritance, that is, the reward of eternal life. Joseph is a true son of Abraham; Joseph is a champion of faith.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a)
Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. – The Gospel of the Lord.

Or
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 2:41-51a)
Each year, Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances. But not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the Day

The days that pass between Mary’s pregnancy being discovered and the angel’s announcement that it is a pregnancy of grace are days of trial and sorrow for Joseph. He does not doubt the Virgin’s holiness at all, but at the same time he is confronted with the evidence of the facts and does not know how to behave. To “divorce her quietly” means definitively giving up the marriage plan, but also not exposing the Madonna to the public disgrace that could even lead to the woman’s stoning. God allows this doubt to last for some time, which means that faith, even the faith of a giant like Joseph, must be tested in order to grow even more, until it becomes absolute and radiant. When this sorrow reaches its peak, the angel reveals the truth, making Joseph a happy man. He overcomes the trial, commits no unjust act, and thus enters definitively into God’s plan. Every special calling must know this total entrustment, which takes place precisely in trial. Joseph’s yes to God thus becomes the Church’s yes to God, our own individual yes in times of trial.